The Front Pages
Here are some of the main headlines from the front pages of some of the national broadsheet newspapers today:
‘Man shot dead in Limerick gangland hit’ – The Irish Examiner.
‘€200 parking levy finally to be introduced this summer’ – The Irish Times.
‘Ronan jets in for crisis talks but drives off after an hour ‘ – The Irish Independent.
Gangland feuds in Limerick have escalated once again as a 20-year-old man was shot dead last night.
The Irish Examiner and many other national papers detail the circumstances in which Daniel Philips of Crecora, Ballinacurra Weston, was shot and later died at the Midwestern Regional Hospital.
It is reported that Mr Philips was driving his girlfriend’s car when shots were fired at the car near to St John’s Cathedral at around 9.30pm. It is speculated that the shooting may be linked to a shooting incident involving the notorious McCarthy-Dundon gang just two weeks ago, very close to where last night’s gunfire broke out.
Are you tired of paying for parking? Well if so, you will not be welcoming the news of the government’s decision to introduce a €200 parking levy in Ireland’s cities.
The Irish Times conforms that the delayed parking levy is set to go ahead on a “pilot basis†in Dublin city centre in the coming months and will then extend to most of the Dublin City Council area and major urban areas of Cork, Galway, Limerick and Waterford.
The delayed plan, which was announced in the October 2008 Budget, will take about one year to be fully implemented and will mainly affect workers in the cities who avail of free parking.
The Ronan Keating saga continues as The Irish Independent informs us of his return to the family home in Malahide yesterday to “hold crisis talks†with his wife Yvonne.
The couple separated last week amidst revelations that the Boyzone singer was cheating on his wife with dancers on the band’s tours. Keating jetted in from Switzerland yesterday to speak with Yvonne, to whom he has been married to for 12 years, and after visiting their home in Malahide he brought his children to the K Club while he played a round of golf.
Tales from Tabs
The husband of Hollywood actress Brittany Murphy has died from a reported “broken heart†only five months after her death.
Film director Simon Monjack was found dead at the Hollywood Hills home which the couple shared and where Brittany was discovered last December.
The Daily Star does not speculate a drug overdose as the cause of Monjack’s death but their sources say that the widower had “never got over Brittany’s death†and died of a broken heart.
Ronan Keating’s affairs and return to the family home in Malahide yesterday is also in plentiful supply in the tabloids.
The Sun reports that Ronan spent just “10 minutes†with Yvonne in the house before leaving for the day with his children.
The report also claims a bouquet of white roses and lilies were delivered to the Keating household moments before his arrival.
The Sports Pages
Liverpool striker Fernando Torres is staying put at Anfield according to a report in The Daily Star today.
Torres has been linked with moves to many big-name clubs including Chelsea, Manchester City and Real Madrid in recent weeks however his agent Jose Antonio Peton feels that the Spaniard will remain with the Reds next season.
Peton told Spanish station Punto Radio: “For the moment I can assure fans that Fernando will continue at Liverpool next season.
“Everything is down to Liverpool’s attitude but for the time being Fernando is happy at the club and has a good contract.
“Liverpool have not spoken to us about his future, so he is just concentrating on playing at the World Cup.â€
Reaction to England’s 3-1 win over Mexico in a World Cup warm-up friendly last night dominates a lot of the back pages.
The Sun reveals England coach Fabio Capello’s fury with his players at half-time in Wembley last night.
“I had to speak to the players at half-time. We have to press more. Not all the teams we play against will play like Mexico did, this was a different style†Capello said after last night’s friendly.
England have just 18 days left to prepare for their first group match in the tournament in South Africa. Ledley King, Peter Crouch and Glen Johnson were the goalscorers on the night.
